29 Percent of Realities
by Clara Parlato
Summary: In the middle of a conversation Slav tells the team in at least 29% of the existent realities they all fall in love with Lance.
1. Then Sadness

"Lance is so noisy!"

"Good morning to you too, Pidge."

"Good morning, Shiro. Lance is so noisy!"

Pidge huffed as she sat at the table, picking some of the food goo and shoving into her mouth. Hunk smiled at her, he knew his best friend could be very annoying when he wanted to. Keith snorted, of course Lance was noisy, he was Lance. Shiro and Allura only chuckled. Coran was too absorbed in one of Slav's ramblings to acknowledge the girl's presence.

"Can you guys believe him? He spent the whole night talking and laughing while I was trying to concentrate! And he kept on pacing, and I'm sure he was stomping with so much force on purpose, there's no way those were his footsteps, he has light feet!"

"Calm down, Pidge, before you choke."

"I'm gonna choke that idiot…" They laughed at the grumbling girl, Keith even getting into the joke and offering to help her.

"You should know how Lance can get already, Pidge. We've been friends for some time now."

"Doesn't make him any less frustrating, Hunk."

The subject changes, each of them taking the cue to complain about the Blue Paladin. Slav had finally stopped his monologue, letting Coran join the fun. The alien watched they whine and moan about Lance. There was no sign of bad blood, only an incredible fondness. Soft smiles and adoring looks. They truly cared for their paladin; it was obvious to anyone. That reminded him…

"In at least 29% of the existent realities, all the paladins fall in love with Lance."

Silence, so thick Keith could probably cut it with his knife. Hell, Hunk could cut it with his spoon. Allura was the first one to react.

"What…?"

"Why are you all so surprised? With how much you like him, I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of these realities."

More silence. They had no idea how to react. The idea of one of them falling in love with Lance was already absurd; imagine every single one of them falling in love with him?! Impossible. Maybe the other realities were really different from theirs.

Lance choose that exact moment to enter the room. His skin shined, his smile showed off white teeth, his hair looked extremely soft. He was with his usual jeans and sneakers, but with a blue t-shirt he bought on some Space Mall. Didn't take much time for Lance to decide he was _not_ going to use the same clothes every day, no matter how great altean technology was at washing them while he bathed—"This is _not_ an anime, guys" he had said. It was tight and a V-neck, letting the team see the muscles he was so proud of and putting his large shoulders in evidence. His blue eyes—bluest blue—gleamed with that same old joy of seeing his teammates.

Had Lance always looked so good?

"Good morning! What did I miss?"

Silence. Lance's smiled dimmed a little, confusion invading his mind.

"Why are you guys looking at me like I'm some kind of rare oddity?"

Coran's laugh made the team get out of the trance, their cheeks burning with red. Lance sent the old man a questioning glance, slowly sitting beside Hunk. The man only shook his head softly and gave that mysterious dad smile. You know the one, the "I know what's going on but I want you to find out by yourself because I think is amusing and is a good life lesson for you" smile. The rest of breakfast was little awkward, with Lance trying to talk with his friends and said friends trying to stop thinking how good he looked that morning.

The only consolation they had was that everything would be back to normal in the next morning. After all, that sudden realization was only possible because Slav caught them by surprise. They just had to survive the rest of that day. Easy.

* * *

_Boy_, were they **wrong**.

It was as if an umbrella was shut and they couldn't open it anymore, leaving them soaked with the insistent rain. After they noticed Lance that first day, they noticed him every day. They were looking at him, **really** looking at him, and, _God_ did they like what they saw. None of them would admit it. They hid that behind a veil of curiosity; they only wished to know why the paladins from the other universes fell in love with Lance. A smug dad smile had permanently painted itself in Coran's face and the team wished nothing more than to wipe it off. You know the one, the "you're lying to yourself and I can see it, but I'll let you figure things out even when I already know the answers because it's a good life lesson and very amusing to me". That one.

As they noticed more and more about Lance, said boy noticed more and more their weird behavior. He wasn't dumb, something happened to his teammates and he wanted to know what. He had asked Coran about it, the alien only gave him another dad smile and left, mumbling something about "young love". Well, it seemed he would've to do everything alone. He could do that, just go to one of them and ask.

And ask he did.

The first one was Shiro. It was the middle of a mission; everything was going fine, when Lance decided to finally confront his team. Who better to start with than the leader of said team, am I right?

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, Shiro. I want to know what's going on with you guys."

"What do you mean, Lance?"

"Allura blushed when I told her a joke, Keith looked constipated when we were sparring, Pidge runs every time she sees me, Hunk is a shuttering mess when I'm near and even you seem less…" He searched for a word, keeping his eyes trained on the older man. "Graceful?"

"Are you sure it's not your imagination?" Shiro asked nervously, trying to ignore the panicked voice in his head demanding him to run back where the others were. He hadn't felt that ever since Adam and, being honest with himself, he _did not_ miss that panicky feeling.

"Shiro, sorry to tell you that so bluntly, but you're acting like a gay disaster right now." Then he smirked. "Maybe you have a crush on me? I mean, I am irresistible, you know?"

_Boy, did Shiro knew_. Lance looked especially good that moment, with messy helmet hair and sweat running down his temples. The planet had a very warm weather and while the armors could cool down their paladins, they used the same energy as the boosters, so the team decided it was better to keep the boosters working in case they needed to run. They were luck the Garrison was near a desert, so they were less bothered by the warmth. Talking about armors, Shiro was really appreciating the way Lance's accentuated the boy's broad shoulders.

If you haven't noticed yet, Shiro was a shoulders man.

And, well, _Lance's shoulders, am I right?_

"Shiro? Earth to Shiro?"

The Black Paladin froze; Lance's face was too close for comfort. Bluest blue staring directly at his eyes. Oh, God, his heart was making some sweet samba inside his ribcage. Thoughts were running a marathon inside his head. Blood was rushing to his ears. Air was leaving his lungs. Shit. **Shit**. Yeah. Okay. Maybe Slav was right. Maybe it was one of the 39% universes. Maybe he _had_ a crush on Lance. A small one. A small crush on the Blue Paladin. **Small**. He could deal with small. He could deal with having a small crush on his teammate. He could deal with what the universe was throwing at him.

Alarms suddenly blared. They were discovered. In less than a few minutes, the entire galra population of that base was going to be there, trying to kill them. They needed to move. Shiro snapped right back to his role as leader, his—small, mind you—crush on Lance could wait. Looking at the boy, they nodded to each other and ran back to where their friends were.

"Pidge, how's the download?"

"Almost done, I need more time!"

Takashi went silent for a bit, trying to think on a plan, but Lance's voice interrupted his thoughts. Lance was telling the team his plan—when did he plan all that?—and Shiro couldn't feel more proud. He knew Lance was smart, but his observant nature was a very welcomed surprise. The plan was very good, and the Blue Paladin even offered a few solutions in case something went wrong. His mind was on fire, completely focused on the mission, any trace of any other thought completely gone. Shiro could see it in his eyes.

"Nice plan, Lance! You guys heard our sharpshooter, let's put that plan in action!"

"Thanks, lion king." Lance smiled so endearingly, Shiro didn't had the heart to roll his eyes at the nickname. His heart was too occupied writing the next part of that samba.

Shiro could deal with a small crush on Lance.

"Let's kick some galra butt!"

He couldn't deal with a bigger than Voltron itself crush on Lance.

_**Fuck**_.

* * *

"Lance is so noisy!"

"Good morning to you too, Pidge."

"Good morning, Shiro. Lance is so noisy!"

Pidge sniffed as she sat at the table, picking some of the food goo and shoving into her mouth. Hunk smiled weakly at her, the memory of his best friend's loud voice fresh in his ears. Keith huffed, of course Lance was noisy, the universe would be too silent if he wasn't. Shiro and Allura only sighed. Coran was too absorbed in poking his food goo sadly to pay any attention to the grieving girl's entrance.

"Can you guys believe him? He spent the whole night talking and laughing while I was trying to concentrate!"

He hadn't. It was all Pidge's memories. Because Lance wasn't there. He was galaxies away, lost somewhere, maybe even imprisoned by the enemy. Because he was too selfless. Too loyal. Too Lance.

"Calm down, Pidge, before you choke."

"I'm gonna choke that idiot…" They laughed dryly at the mumbling girl, Keith offering to help her.

"You should know how Lance is, Pidge. We've been friends for some time now. He's been done things like that ever since the beginning."

"Doesn't make him any less frustrating, Hunk."

The subject changes, each of them taking the cue to tell some story about the Blue Paladin. Slav watched their futile attempts to ignore pain the silence the absence of the Blue Paladin brought. Coran still refused to enter the conversation, even though it was obvious he was listening. There was an incredible fondness in their broken voices. Soft smiles and adoring looks. Tears running freely, sobs rising to the skies. They truly cared for their paladin; it was obvious to anyone. That reminded him…

"Of the 29% of the existent realities where all the paladins fall in love with Lance, only 3% don't end in tragedy."

Silence.

Then sadness.


	2. Once

"Did he really call you a gay disaster?"

"He did, Pidge."

Cue to the whole team laughing loudly. They decided to unite forces and search for explanations. They would get together at breakfast, considering Lance was always late, and talk about the possibilities. It wasn't that they couldn't see people falling for Lance, he was a lovable character. But they falling for him seemed so far off. All of them falling for him at the same time just sounded impossible.

Except for Shiro, apparently.

"Listen! Just—stop laughing! Listen to me!"

"Oh, boy, this can't get better!"

"He… I… Have you seen his shoulders?!"

Silence. The group stared at their leader for a few ticks before starting to laugh again. Shiro's ears were burning, but he was determined on telling them how they had been blind. Lance was a jewel, he just needed a little more light to shine. He wanted the others to see it too. Being a gay disaster for so long, he wanted to prepare them for when they got crushes. Having a crush on Lance made him want to prepare them for having a crush on Lance. Because if it took him a few days after that mission to start pining hard after the boy, it meant they certainly would develop feelings quickly.

Maybe a small part of him just wanted them to suffer with him.

(A small part of him certainly didn't want them to fall for Lance, competition and all that.)

Hunk, always the considerate sweetheart, was the first to calm down and actually listen to the jumbled words coming out of the Japanese's mouth. Hunk could understand how Shiro fell so fast, he'd seen it happen before. Being friends with Lance for so long made Hunk very perceptive of his friend and the world around him. He remember all the times both boys and girls came to him asking for advice on how to woo his friend. His answer was usually the same: Just tell him. It wasn't because Lance was oblivious, Lance just didn't believe people were actually interested in him that way. Being flirty was part of him, so he immediately thought any kind of flirtation was platonic.

"Shiro, man, calm down," Hunk requested, amused, "You sound just like one of Lance's exes. She was crazy for his shoulders."

"Exes?"

Now all the attention of the paladins was on the boy. Smiling, he told them all about the many suitors Lance had. Laughed about the stuttering and the flushed faces. Confided his best friend's every freak out after being confessed to. Talked about the happy and sad times.

"I had no idea Lance actually dated before."

"You were too occupied to see, Pidge. Lance practically had a fan club."

"I wonder what was going on inside those people heads to be so taken by that idiot," Keith chuckled, "I guess I should ask you, Shiro?"

"Very funny, Keith," Takashi grumbled before sighing and finally putting words in an order that made sense, "Listen, Lance not only is very beautiful, but he has a great mind. Our mission was a success because of him and his plans. I know it seems weird for you guys the notion of falling for him, but at least admit he is something else."

The team stared at the Black Paladin in silent contemplation. He wasn't wrong. As much as they made fun of Lance, they all knew he was a great person, a truly lovable character. He had his flaws, all of them had, but they weren't enough to outshine his virtues. Great person, great friend. They recognized it, they just didn't talk about it. Maybe they should?

"Wait, Lance likes boys too?" Allura wondered. Valid question, she only ever had seen he flirt with girls.

"Yes, I do." Lance entered the room with the mice in his hands. A blue crop top with "Passing Bi" written and high waist black pants. Usual sneakers. "Why are we talking about my sexuality, again?"

"We were just curious."

Lance watched the princess for a few ticks, suspiciously searching for something, before shrugging and sitting down on the chair right next to Shiro. Said man stiffened, blood rushing to his face. Lance looked too good in a crop top. Shiro could see his stomach, the muscles that were starting to appear more prominently thanks to the intensive training, and all he could think of was how it would feel to run his hand over that soft, soft skin. How would the Cuban boy react? Was he ticklish? Would he just smile and sigh? Maybe, if he touched _just _the right way in the right spot, Takashi would be able to make a moan leave the boy's throat… Maybe those dragged and low type moans…

"Shiro, you okay?"

Thank _God_ Coran decided to bring Lance's food at that exact moment. The Black Paladin would take Coran's dad smiles over a very awkward conversation with the Blue Paladin any day. The others snickered. The mice looked at Coran as if sharing a secret. It was only a matter of time. Then Slav would be able to proudly announce that their reality was part of the other 29%.

Talking about Slave, where was he?

* * *

"Man, I did _not_ expect to live enough to hear Keith McEmo sing a Brazilian _love song._"

Keith almost got hit by the android with the startle Lance's sudden voice brought. Dodging the spear in the last second, he delivered a powerful swing on the bot's torso, ending the spar triumphant. Turning to glare at his company, he wanted to wipe off that shit-eating cat-shaped grin. Then what the other had said hit him.

"You know Brazilian love songs?"

"Not really, but I can understand a bit of Brazilian Portuguese, some of the best memes come from Brazil, you know?" Lance gave a few steps on Keith's direction, grin in place. "I also speak Spanish, so it's a little bit easier for me to understand some things. The question is, how do _you_ know Brazilian love songs?"

Silence. Lance sighed, offering the Red Paladin a deal: He would train with Keith for the rest of the day if Keith told him the story behind his choice of music.

"You better take the sparing seriously," He huffed. Winning smirk shining in the Cuban's face, "Shiro's fiancée was Brazilian and he loved to listen to old love songs."

"Shiro has a fiancée?!"

"Had, they broke up when he left for the Kerberos Mission. His name was Adam, funny guy, great cook. I'm sure me and Shiro would've died eating only cup noodles if he wasn't there. Actually, we would've died without him, period. Shiro had no idea how to properly take care of a child and I was… I was a disaster kid."

The Blue Paladin decided he liked the soft look and almost-smile in his friend's face. He was happy when the other decided to tell more, going on about how Shiro always looked so done when Adam was being dramatic—which was almost all the time—, how Adam took upon himself to teach Keith everything about Brazil and it's culture—even if the boy never really asked—, how they desperately tried to understand the badly translated Brazilian expressions—"I am very bitch" and "nobody yes door" were still Keith's favorites—, how Shiro looked at Keith with so much despair when said boy used one of the expressions—Adam was so proud, he baked a giant carrot cake and made a jar of avocado smoothie—, how Shiro almost had a breakdown when he said "nobody yes door" himself—Keith had laughed so hard he choked on his own spit and Adam looked so _goddamn_ triumphant.

"He sounds like a great guy."

"He is." You remind me of him sometimes, Keith almost said, choosing instead to remind the other about their deal.

Lance whined about wanting to know more, trying to bribe Keith with stories of his own, but the half-galra was adamant. Besides, he knew Lance would gladly talk about his past if someone asked, so they could talk about it any other time.

Because there would be another time.

It felt nice to talk about Adam to someone. He had no idea how Shiro would react, so he didn't touch the subject, but remembering the fond moments did good for him. Keith even felt more willing to train. What was the expression? "Gave him a gas?" Something like that.

However his sparing buddy also seemed very motivated. The hothead found himself on the ground after a few moments, surprised eyes glued on the other paladin's bayard.

"When in the word did you learn to do that?"

"I've been training one-on-one, I can't always rely solely on a gun, right?"

Keith stared at his friend. The brilliant smile and glimmering eyes. Pride swelled in Keith's chest, heart beating maybe a little too fast. Lance looked cool with the blue longsword—since when did the blue bayard turn into a sword?—, the Red Paladin could not bring himself to lie. Not when he could feel blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Lance smiled, swinging the sword a bit, "I discovered a few weeks after getting the bayard that it'll change to accommodate its user needs. With that in mind, I decided to try and see how I could use it," He beamed at the other, offering a hand to help him get up, "It can transform into that gun and this sword, I was able to transform it in a sniper gun once, but I don't remember how exactly."

"How long have you been training with the sword?" Keith inquired, accepting the hand, immediately screaming in his head how goddamn soft it was.

"Ever since I found out I could form it, I've been switching between it and the gun. I'll eventually use it on missions, when I feel ready."

Maybe—big maybe, mind you—Keith was starting to see what Shiro was trying to say. That boy decided that he needed to better himself and changed his whole fighting style so he could adjust to any situation. So he could support the team in any occasion. Ah, damn, Keith could finally relate to Shiro, his mind was screaming a bunch of random demands and his heart just decided to give up and create a samba. He didn't knew what was worse, being a gay disaster, or being a gay disaster with Lance looking at him with so much concern, still holding his hand, and bringing his face closer to Keith's face.

"Am… Am I interrupting something?"

"Shiro! Didn't hear you come in!" Lance let go of Keith's hand to go have a chat with the leader.

Keith seized the moment to take some deep breaths and try to lessen the blush on his cheeks. The feeling of Lance's skin wouldn't leave his mind for some time, he could already tell. Looking at Shiro, who didn't look any better than him, Keith silently cursed.

Lance's laugh came, sweet and melodious.

Fuck.

* * *

"Did he really call you a gay disaster?"

"He did, Pidge."

Cue to the whole team laughing weakly. They decided to take a break on searching for their missing paladin for a few minutes, just enough so they wouldn't all pass out for overworking. They got together at breakfast and talked about the many memories they had with the boy, Coran and the mice joining, though they stayed silent most of the time. It made the team be even more aware of how easily it was for people to fall for Lance, he was such a lovable character. They falling for him seemed so far off, once. All of them falling for him at the same time just sounded impossible.

Once.


	3. His

"Why don't you give up? Stop fighting and join the winning side."

"I'm already on the winning side, Witch." Lance spat on his companion, probably not a great idea considering she was Haggar and could destroy him if she pleased. The spit fell on the floor as the woman moved back. Hadn't she moved, she would have to continue the conversation with spit on her forehead.

"And yet you're not winning anything. You're being cast aside like a useless toy."

"Shut up!"

"They may not be able to see it, but I can. You're a rarity, my boy. Out of all, you have the potential to claim the universe as yours." Haggar came closer, warm hands holding softly the boy's face. It felt oddly motherly. "I can see it, you can be great, and you can have the entire universe in your hands to rule freely, as you please."

"With you controlling me? That's no freedom."

The caress was still strangely loving. Like a mother watching fondly her rebel son trying to find himself. So tender, reminded Lance of his own mother. Her hands were also warm and always held him as if he was the only thing that mattered. As if he was a gift she could not even phantom living without. In a moment of weakening longing, he closed his eyes, resting his face on Haggar's hands. He could see his mother smiling gently, talking about this or that. Long fingers traced his jawline, then is temples, then lost themselves in the soft brown hair he prided himself so much.

"My boy, give me a chance to make you greater. Leave behind the burdens those people made you carry and wear the stars in your fingers."

_Yes, mother,_ he would've said. However, Lance still had a half-mind to remember that was _not_ his sweet mother. His mother would never tell him to leave the people he loved. Unless the relationship was hurting him. But his relationship with the team was good. Maybe they brushed him aside a few times. Maybe they disregarded his feelings a few times. Maybe they acted they didn't need him sometimes. Maybe they hurt him sometimes. But it was normal, right? We're bound to hurt people we love time to time, that's how we grow, that's how relationships grow.

"I can feel it, so much sadness, so much loathing… The strong desire of proving yourself, the lust for appreciation. The dream of finally being recognized. I can feel it all coming out of you, my child."

"Shut up…"

"You can have everything this universe has to offer! Is there nothing you want? Nothing you wish more than anything in this life?"

His family, his home. Rain. Beach. Sand. Earth. His friends. A nice day of hanging out with people he held dear. Peace. Freedom. He wanted to go back and rest. He wanted to live his life fully by the side of loved people. He wanted the war to end. He wanted. He wanted.

"I can give it to you."

He wouldn't. Because was tempting as it all sounded, he knew that was not the way. Forcefully taking what he wanted was wrong. Forcefully taking the universe for himself was wrong. Earth was part of the universe; he had to protect it so his dream could come true.

_(If he had the universe, Earth would be his too. His to keep, his to protect. His.)_

He wouldn't.

"Fuck you."

"Very well, you'll crack eventually, no matter how strong your mind is." Haggar sighed, turning her back to the boy strapped on the bed. "Until then, let's see how much your body can take." With a syringe, she administered a dose of quintessence right into his bloodstream. "Hopefully enough for you to live to see which side is the best."

She left Lance there, in the darkness, screaming in pain. The energy made his blood vessels glow, shimmering blood coming out of his eyes in the place of tears. He screamed and screamed, trying desperately to get up and run. Run far, far away. Back to where was safe. Back at his team's arms.

Wasn't he so occupied trying to keep the flame of his life lit, he would've wondered what was taking the team so long to come save him.

_(If the universe were his, would the team be his too?)_


	4. Floating Down

"I wonder what was going on inside those people heads to be so taken by Lance," Shiro chuckled, "I guess I should ask you, Keith?"

"Shut up, Shiro."

"So Keith was next, huh?" Pidge snickered, spoon dangling from her lips, "Like older brother like younger brother, I guess."

"Shut up, Pidge."

The team laughed. Shiro could not wait to tell everyone the situation he had found Keith in; as soon as morning came, he was already at the table, beaming at the idea of telling what he knew. The others had soaked his words promptly, knowing smirks growing on their faces. Keith had barged in room and the conversation, yelling that it wasn't what they were thinking and to _stop fucking laughing, I'll kill you all_. It took a few good minutes for them to calm down, to calm him down, and to assure him no one was going to judge him too harshly. Lance was a lovable man; they could understand why people would fall for him. It was just hard to believe any of them could fall for the boy.

Except Shiro.

And except Keith.

"I guess it makes sense, almost every fanfic where two characters are rivals end up with them fucking."

"Pidge, first of all, language. Second, what in the world have you been reading?"

Hunk chuckled softly, shushing his teammates so Keith could explain himself. The boy was red, more than the Red Lion herself, and kept on stuttering. Ah, it reminded Hunk of their Garrison days, where young cadets would shyly approach him to ask what was Lance's favorite color, of when was Lance's birthday, or what type of gift Lance would enjoy. It never bothered Hunk, first because he himself wasn't interested in dating at the time, and second because he knew Lance strived on attention. Lance was truly a lover, he had a lot of love—platonic, romantic and anything in between—to give, but the love was almost never returned, usually because Lance didn't believe he was worth of receiving—only giving. Therefore, every time someone was willing to give his best friend some of it, Hunk did everything in his power to make things work.

Moreover, if Keith were willing to give Lance love, Hunk would gladly help.

Same with Shiro.

_(It is a mystery if Hunk ever thought about the two potentially fighting each other because Lance. Maybe he was just oblivious in his want to see his best friend loved.)_

_(Or he just wanted to watch the world burn a little.)_

"He… He was using a sword and he looked too fucking good doing it." Shiro almost reprimanded the use of a swear word, but he knew Keith needed to let things out and interrupting would make the boy step back into silence. "And he was using it perfectly, he sent me to the ground with a few swings and then gave that cocky smirk—you know the one, the shining one—and I could do nothing but dumbly ask him when he had learnt that—"

"Breath, Keith," Allura requested a bit worried.

Coran offered the boy a cup, saying something about a tea to calm down nerves, but Keith was so lost on the desperate need to tell everyone how goddamn good Lance looked and how goddamn thoughtful that idiot was, he just grabbed it from the older gentleman's hands and chugged. Coran smiled another of his famous dad smiles, winking at the mice. "Ah, young love and the distress it brings" his smiled said. Harshly putting the cup down, the half-galra started again.

"Lance decided he should master both the sword and the gun. He said—you should have seen him—he said he shouldn't rely only on his gun. He was—Lance is—He's been bettering himself so he could be ready for any situation."

"Shiro is a shoulders man; Keith is weak against a hard worker… How lucky am I to be alive right now?"

"Make fun of us all you want, Pidge, but you'll see. Your time will come." Shiro threatened playfully, Keith nodding rapidly. They knew how easy it was to give to Lance's charms; they had no doubt Pidge would too.

_(They maybe didn't really want her to; it was already hard knowing they would probably have to compete against each other for Lance's feelings.)_

_(Being able to tease her like she was teasing them was very tempting, though.)_

"Her time of what?"

Keith whispered some random swear words, Shiro vehemently agreeing with the boy. Lance should be forbidden of wearing tank tops, it made him look too delicious. The jeans and sneakers were there too, but they didn't really pay attention when they could see so much shoulder and arm. Lance's arms, am I right?

"Her time to taste Hunk's new cookie recipe," Coran explained, sending the team a dad smirk, "You're always the first one to prove his new recipes, right?"

"Yeah! Sorry, Pidgeon, but I'm Hunk's official taste tester."

"And who said I want that title?"

"I know green is your color, but envy surely isn't your shade."

"Shut up, Lance.

Lance's laugh echoed on the room, bringing smiles on their faces.

* * *

Pidge couldn't sleep. She just couldn't close her eyes and not think about her family. She missed them. She missed them so much. Too much. To the point it hurt. Silently sitting in front of the Green Lion, she let the soft purr or said lion wash her pain away, slowly and never fully. Pidge liked to sit down near people she trusted and just feel their presence when she was too overwhelmed. She had done that with Hunk a lot on their experimentation nights, both sitting on the floor, back to back, silently tinkering with some piece of whatever they wanted to understand. With Shiro, when he was reading some reports in the common room, she leaning on his shoulder, whispering stories about her brother to the only member of the team who knew him. With Keith, when he was sharpening his blade, she sat a little away from him, tinkering with anything, the two just enjoying the silence. With Allura and Coran, both on the control room deciding the next steps to make things more efficient, she on her chair, giving helpful information she was able to acquire. With Green, letting the lion purr comfortably into her mind.

And, finally, her favorite, with Lance. Lance didn't really like to tinker with things, nor had the patience to stay in silence, nor the interest on reports about the intergalactic war, nor knew a lot about the hell Allura and Coran did to make the castle fly, nor could the purr some assurance directly into her mind. Nevertheless, Lance had the best hugs, the best stories, he was a great listener and extremely emphatic. He would immediately wrap her in his arms and pet her back. He would hum lowly. He would cry with her and smile with her. Lance was by far the best person to go when she was in need of comfort.

"Can't sleep?"

Speak of the devil that the tail appears.

"Come here, Pidgey."

She crawled on his lap as soon as he sat down in front of her. Pidge could feel the tears running, and did no effort to stop them. Lance wouldn't judge her. Lance was too good of a person to do anything to hurt her feelings. She could tell him everything. She could trust him her whole story. And she did between pained sobs. He whole body shook, he hugged her more firmly. Katie never felt as free as the night she decided to tell Lance everything she carried in her heart. When she was finished, sobs then reduced to sighs, the boy finally let his voice out.

"I knew you were remarkable, I just had no idea how much."

"I'm not—"

"You are incredible, Pidge." She noticed how he hesitated on calling her Pidge, probably wanting to use her real name, but being too much of a respectful bastard to do it without consent. For a second, Katie wished to hear her name come out of his lips.

"I can't even find my family."

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to look together."

He said those words so easily. Of course they would find her family, the tone of his voice told her. Pidge stared directly at his blue eyes. Bluest blue. Gentle and warm, sure of themselves, promising her they would do everything to bring her family back to her.

"Not being able to do certain things doesn't make you less incredible, Pidge. Just don't lose hope, we'll find them. I promise you."

Shiro and Keith had fallen suddenly; they told the realization came like a punch to the gut. Katie felt differently. It was no punch; it was a warm caress on the cheek. A gentle hand rubbing her skin, wiping the tears away. She didn't fall for Lance; she was already falling without noticing. Floating down, more precisely. She let her head fall into his chest, hugging him closely, listening to his heartbeat. She could feel her hear jump and her face burning.

Warm. Safe. Caring. Gentle. Lance.

"You can… You can use my real name if you want to."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm the one asking, idiot." She giggled at the dramatic gasp. Dramatic boy.

"I'm hurt, Katie! Here I was thinking you were acting so docile!"

Shivers run down her spine, her name sounded good on his voice. Katie wanted to hear him saying it more. She wanted to stay in his arms for a long time. Maybe forever. Forever would be good. Green was still purring gently, she was happy her pilot was happy. Katie sighed contentedly, silently listening to Lance's stories.

Shiro was right; her time came.

_Good._

* * *

"Were you making cookies earlier, Hunk?"

"Yeah, I needed to think about… Things…"

Coran offered the boy a cup, saying something about a tea to calm down, but Hunk was so lost on the thought of baking cookies for his not present taste tester; he just grabbed it from the older gentleman's hands and chugged. Coran looked at the mice, mustache in disarray. There was no trace of his dad smile, but it wasn't new. Shiro stared at his team. Keith was lethargic, Pidge had thick tears on her eyes, Allura looked like Death. He tried to lift the mood a bit.

"Will you let us prove some?"

"Sorry, Shiro, but Lance is still my official taste tester."

"Lucky bastard." Pidge grumbled fondly.

Lance's laugh echoed on their minds, bringing bitter smiles on their faces.


	5. Chocolate Cake

"My time has come."

"Good morning, Pidge."

"Good morning, Shiro. Guess what?"

"You have a crush on Lance?"

"What, no. Are you crazy?" Pidge sat down at the table, staring incredulously at Hunk. "I am fucking head-over-heels for that boy."

It was surprising to hear Pidge admit that so easily. She seemed the type to try to deny her feelings. But that wasn't the case, apparently. She actually looked very proud of herself. Confidence shined in her eyes, she was in no way embarrassed. Because Pidge knew something they didn't, and she loved knowing more than people. Lance had said before that, while he didn't appreciate when he was the victim, he adored when she showed all her knowledge in that snarky way of hers. He would be proud of the shit-eating grin on her face.

"You're in a good mood, number 5."

"Yeah, well, considering I have no competition for Lance's affection."

Shiro and Keith immediately snapped their heads on her direction. They were not brothers by blood, but they sure were brothers by glare. Pidge cackled, taunting them with a petulant shine in her eyes. Oh, that boy would be hers, and she made sure to tell them. She was closer to Lance than Shiro, having spent months with the boy even before all the Voltron shenanigans. And she didn't had to worry about being seen as a rival, which meant it was easier for her to bond—yes, she went there—with him. What she didn't expect was the slow smirk spreading on Shiro's face.

"You may be closer, Pidge, but you're not the closest."

His head turned to Hunk, the sweetheart watching the scene in stunned silence. Keith's eyes widened and Pidge deflated a little. Shiro was right. Hunk was the closest to Lance in the team. They've been friends—the best of friends—for a good time. Hunk could understand and relate to Lance in a way none of them were able yet. Their friendship was strong, and unbreakable link between two people who fully trusted, respected and adored each other. Keith and Pidge never looked so murderous. Shiro was smug, ignoring the fact he had even less chance of having Lance than the other two.

"Hunk, you better not get in my way."

"Pidge, you're scaring me."

"Now, now, there's no need to fight," Coran chastised softly, the dad smile never leaving, "It's not good for two friends to declare war on each other."

"Coran's right, guys." Lance was back on his white and blue t-shirt and jeans. Not less beautiful, though. "I mean, c'mon, Pidge, we already talked about it. I'm Hunk's taste tester."

"Maybe I should declare war on you, then?"

"You would lose." Lance beamed, sitting down and shoving a spoonful of Hunk's newest invention in his mouth. "Delicious as always, Hunk."

"Thank you."

Shit, Hunk was really a formidable enemy.

* * *

"And what are you doing?"

Startled, Hunk almost let the bow with mixture fall from his hands. Turning around quickly, he took note of his best friend gentle smile. One eyebrow up, blue eyes—bluest blue—shining with praise. Reminded Hunk of their first encounter.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

"How could I forget, babe? The day you won me over with your delicious food is a memory I'll always carry with me."

Hunk blushed, soft smile on his face. The truth was Hunk didn't need to fall for Lance. He had already drowned in the ocean that was the Blue Paladin a long time ago. Back when they were younger and stupid… Stupider. Back when Lance protected him from the bullies, back when Lance assured him there was nothing wrong with being more sensitive than the others were, back when Lance made him swear he would never let go of cooking. Hunk had admired his friend for a long time, and while he wasn't sure when admiration turned into love, he could say for sure his feelings were too strong for him to ever let go.

"I was making chocolate cake in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep."

"Smelled heavenly, looked even better."

"You made sure to tell me that a few times."

"It's the truth you needed to hear."

Hunk laughed, focusing on the chocolate cake he was making. Lance had too much love to give, and Hunk was always scared he wouldn't have enough love to give back to Lance. That's why he never said anything, that's why he always helped people to get his best friend's heart. He felt like he wasn't enough. Lance had an extremely big heart and Hunk would feel selfish taking that heart for him. As long as Lance was happy, Hunk would stay at the side and send good vibes.

"The next day you broke a boy's nose for picking on me."

"I may not me good on the kitchen, but I can pack a punch!" Hank threw his head back, no intentions of stopping the delicious laugh that came out. He knew if he looked at Lance, the boy would be grinning. "I'm a ride-or-die friend, no other way!"

Oh, the Yellow Paladin knew that very well. Lance would do anything—anything, I tell you—for people he put inside his heart. Put himself between an explosion and Coran? Done. Attract the attention of enemies so Shiro could strike? Sure. Pull Pidge behind him when an enemy appears near her? Of course. Keep an eye on Keith and shoot any galra that may be a problem to the Red Paladin? You can count on that! Protect Allura from her own bad thoughts after a mission gone badly? Already done. Defend Hunk's honor in a civilization of warriors where a man cooking is frowned upon by challenging the leader to a duel? Oh, boy, one of Lance's favorite memories.

_(He won with some broken ribs, some ugly bruises, a busted lip and wounds scattered around his body. Allura didn't even had the heart to be pissed, he looked so proud of himself while telling the warriors that men should do whatever they feel like doing as long as is not hurting someone.)_

_(Hunk wasn't so merciful; he scolded the boy for two hours in a row. Then he proceeded to make Lance some of the tastiest food he could make with the weird space ingredients they had.)_

Finally putting the cake in the oven, the Yellow Paladin quickly walked over and hugged his friend. Lance hugged back with the same amount of strength. Crushing, but not painful. Never painful. He may had jumped a bit when Hunk kissed his cheek, but relaxed soon after and repaid the kiss with another, together with a chuckle.

Closing his eyes, Hunk could feel Lance's heart beating together with his own. It wasn't the rapid drumming of a burning passion; it was a slow beat of a satisfied love. Beautiful. Fulfilling. Safe. Right there, in the arms of the boy he loved, Hunk understood that he wasn't enough, but could be. He could be enough for Lance. He could be worthy of that heart. Right there, in the arms of the one he loved, Hunk understood what he needed to do.

Guess Pidge wasn't the only one declaring war.

* * *

The team watched Hunk move around the kitchen. They decided to have breakfast in the kitchen, it would be easier to clean and give them more time to find a way to save their missing piece. Shiro couldn't help but smile softly, now that they finally knew where Lance was, the team seemed much livelier. Keith had a burning fire in his eyes—they worried he would try to save Lance all by himself in the middle of the night, but luckily he seemed to understand it would be no good. Allura was beaming. Coran's mustache looked new. Pidge had that same glimmer in her eyes she got when she understood a piece of coding. Hunk happiness could clearly not be described with words.

"Is that chocolate cake?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to make Lance get fat."

"He can burn it in the training room with Keith."

They laughed; hope growing like the chocolate cake in the oven.


	6. His Whole Being

"I'm declaring war on you guys too."

Silence. The others looked at Hunk while he served breakfast, surprise written all over their faces. Even Coran's dad smile froze for a second. Hunk kept doing his thing, as if he didn't just confirmed his crush on Lance and declared everyone his rivals for Lance's affection. With a satisfied smile, he put down the last plate and sat down to eat.

"You guys not going to eat?"

"Hunk, the fuck did you just say?"

Hunk looked at Shiro, expecting the leader to scold the girl, but it seemed the Black Paladin was still processing the situation. His mouth was open in mid-sentence, probably a "good morning" for the cook. Keith was blinking owlishly. Allura eyes couldn't get bigger. Pidge was regaining her glare. The mice were staring at him, them at the Green Paladin, fully expecting Pidge to jump over the table and attack. Coran was slowly computing what was happening, his smile getting smugger each passing second.

Hunk took a deep breath. He could do this. For Lance, he would do this. He _wanted _to do this. No more running, no more hiding. It was time to fight, even if the ones he was fighting were his team. Preparing himself for the pair of glares that would soon join Pidge's, he glanced at Coran, the man giving him a thumbs up, before speaking.

"I am in love with Lance. I've been in love with Lance since the first day we met, and yesterday I finally made the decision of pursuing my love." A determined glint made its home in his eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes to have him as my partner."

Silence.

"Oh, it's fucking on!"

"Pidge!" Shiro chastised, but his glare was directed to the Yellow Paladin. Keith had the exact same face as the other two. Allura looked tense.

"If you think I'm going down without a fight, you're very quiznacking wrong!"

"That's my line, Pidge!"

Coran laughed loudly, receiving weird stares from the group. Had the man finally lost his mind? They were literally starting a war over Lance's affections, for God's sake! When he finally calmed down, the team was silently waiting for whatever explanation he would blurt out. Coran looked tenderly at his princess.

"There is someone else who could be a threat, maybe as much as a threat as Hunk."

"Someone..."

Slowly they turned towards the princess. Coran was right—he had that dad ability of being usually right, after all. They had one last rival; there was still one person that had not fallen yet. Princess Allura of the Altea. Lance's _crush_.

Allura glared at them, knowing what they were thinking. Shiro was ready to mope; he was the one with the least chance of being with Lance—even though the boy considered him his hero. Keith had deflated a lot—rivals to lovers usually took some time to happen. Pidge looked ready to commit treason—jealousy flared inside her for of course Lance's crush would be the prettier girl in the place. Hunk was the only one who still looked confident. Crushes were crushes, best friends were best friends. Crushes could start and end in a day, a friendship meaningful like the one he shared with Lance took years to make and would never end—not if he had any say on the matter. In addition, while he was extremely close to the friend-zone, by the way Allura had been treating Lance's flirtation so far, _so was she._

"No offence, Princess, but even if you do fall for Lance's charms, you're no threat to me."

"Hunk, I'm not going to fight any of you for Lance's love because I'm not falling in love with Lance."

"I hate to say that, Princess, but you will. It's inevitable," Pidge grumbled.

"I will not fall in love with him!" Allura exclaimed exasperated, getting up with a jump. Hands on the table, she was leaning forward with a snarl. The others were surprised with how hostile she was acting.

"I sure hope not!" Lance chose that moment to finally appear, black leggings and a red crop top with "Space Babe" written in it. "I'm the only one you're supposed to fall for." A wink and finger guns, typical Lance.

Allura glared before sitting down again and stuffing her face with space goo in a very unladylike fashion. Keith basked on the vision of seeing his crush wearing his color, triumphant smirk the response to the not very well hidden glares.

The intergalactic war was nothing compared to the war the Paladins were about to start.

* * *

"_E quem um dia irá dizer que não existe razão nas coisas feitas pelo coração? E quem irá dizer que não existe razão? "_

"Lance, is that you?"

Lance looked up to the princess, the longing look fading to a soft happiness. He motioned the seat beside him, silently asking Allura to sit down and enjoy some music with him—which she did. Coran had found some old altean instruments and immediately handed the one that looked like a guitar to Lance. The boy was glad the instrument was actually very similar to a guitar, so it only took him a few weeks of studying said instrument—he gave up trying to say the name of the object rather quickly.

"What language was that?"

"Brazilian Portuguese."

"I thought you only knew some bits of it…"

"Keith told you?" One brow up, the gentle glow still in his eyes. "I can only sing this song. It's called Eduardo e Mônica, by Legião Urbana, and it's a love story between a girl and a boy from different worlds."

"Sounds beautiful."

"It is. I have a friend, she was an exchange student from Brazil—right now she's back at her country with her family, I hope—, and she missed her home a lot. Once she told me this music reminded her of her parents, so she listened it every chance she got." A sigh. "Being away from home sucks, and sometimes she would get really sad. To cheer her up, I learned this song and sang for her whenever she wanted me to. You should've seen her face, lighted up like a spotlight!"

Allura smiled at him. If she were to be honest with herself, she would admit the romantic interest she had in Lance. However, the fact was that Allura was afraid of falling in love. Again. She had done it before, the overwhelming feeling of holding someone so dear in her heart. Her very first love, an altean boy with pretty blue eyes. He had died when Zarkon attacked and the princess was still accepting that. She was still letting her grief settle in. She didn't want to feel like she was moving on so quickly, her first love didn't deserve it. She didn't want to give her heart to someone she could lose. And in the war, she could lose anyone. She didn't want to fall in love again. Not yet.

But Lance was making it so hard.

If he kept his flirty persona, she wouldn't have to worry about feeling anything. She could've just brushed his advances aside. Flirtation was something she wasn't interested in. Moreover, someone so persistent surely would become annoying very quickly. Then he decided to open up and show her his heart. He showed her how big it was, how full of love it was, how accepting it was. He showed her selfless kindness and empathy. He showed her that when he cared, he cared with his whole being.

When he tried, he tried with his whole being.

When he fought, he fought with his only being.

When he protected, he protect with his only being.

When he loved, he loved with his whole being.

He lived; he lived with his whole being.

And Allura was learning to like him with her whole being.

"Princess, can you teach me some altean songs?"

Surprised with the request, her head snapped towards him. Staring directly at his eyes, she saw all his feelings. His longing, his doubt, his fear, his kindness, his love. She saw his thoughts. His wondering, his remembering. She saw his intentions. Lance was not hiding anything from her. Willingly. With a thankful smile, she started to teach him the melody of an old lullaby her father used to sing for her.

Allura couldn't wait to hear Lance singing it for her when the longing got too much.

29% of realities, eh?

* * *

Allura smiled brightly, turning to stare at the Paladins. The day to get their beloved back had come, and they never felt more terrified and more ready. Keith was ready to send the galra to the next dimension. Pidge swore she would mess their tech so bad that Zarkon would cry. Hunk cracked his knuckles as if testing how good they would feel against some galra faces. Shiro had the burning aura of a smug soldier, ready to deliver revenge. Coran wasn't going to be a part of the battle—the castle still needed to be piloted—but that didn't make the look in his eyes any less intense.

"Paladins, a piece of us—perhaps the most important piece—is missing. Today, we'll get our Blue Paladin back, no matter what the Galra Emperor does to stop us."

Fire burned in her eyes.

"Just to inform you, we will be a team when fighting, but when time comes to fight for Lance's affection, it'll be every man for himself." Here she gave them a smirk worthy of Lance. "Not that any of you will win."

"Don't underestimate our power, Princess."

With hope in their eyes and determination in their hearts, each one of them entered their respective Lion. They were ready. They would bring Lance back. They promised themselves and the others.

"Let's make sure this is one of the 3% realities."


	7. Could It?

"You sure are persistent, Champion," Haggar cackled, holding Shiro's wrathful gaze with a disdainful look, "But you don't go by that name anymore, do you?"

The scene could be compared to a dystopian horror movie. Voltron had invaded one of the farthest galra bases, located on a planet whose name had been long forgotten. The planet was abandoned, the galra the only inhabitants. Gray sand covered the whole surface of the planet, making it look like a desert. It had no plants, no water, no atmosphere. It had only nothingness. And sand. And a sun that had a feeble light, never enough to warm up the sand, almost not enough to even erase the natural darkness of the universe. A dying sun for a dead planet.

The galra base looked as lifeless as the planet. Just a dark gray dome in the middle of the light gray desert. No other galra were there other than Haggar and her druids, the place was put in the hands of robots. However, the worse wasn't the planet, the base or the base's inhabitants; it was what was waiting inside of the base.

"Look at them! Aren't they beautiful?"

Shiro knew something was wrong. They had got in too easily, even for a practically abandoned base. Something wasn't right; a voice screamed in is head. Moreover, it was correct, something was very wrong. The proof was the very room they were in.

"Sick fuck…"

Pidge's whisper echoed, briefly making part of the melody of the heart monitors. Each tube had one right at its side, beeping together with the heartbeat of… Lance. There and there and there. Lance and Lance and Lance. Tube and tube and tube. Filling the whole room, glowing softly, letting them see what they held inside.

Clones.

Clones floating in bluish liquid, cables connected to their bare backs.

Clones, some not even completely formed. Some without an arm—or both—, some without both legs—or just one. Some had no hands, some had no head. Some didn't even look remotely human.

Clones, eyes—that the team was sure were blue, bluest blue—closed.

Clones.

"They were supposed to be clones of you, Champion, but—" with a simple hand gesture from her, all the tubes with the fully grew Lances were drained of the liquid and opened—"I found someone better."

As if rehearsed, the clones stepped out of the tubes at the same time, took a deep breath at the same time, and opened their eyes at the same time. Bluest blue. Shining with bloodlust. Staring directly at them, piercing them with the pure want to _destroy_.

_(They had agreed at some point that having multiple Lances dressed with only leggings would be a dream. Guess some dreams need to turn into nightmares to become real.)_

"You sick fucker!" Pidge's voice woke the others from their stupefied horror. "Why?! Why the fuck did you do this?!" The girl flinched when the clones focused solely on her.

"Don't you know?" Haggar watched the team's faces slightly change to show their confusion. "You don't know…" She cackled, sickening amusement dripping form her voice. "What a great team you are, Voltron! You cannot even see the jewel you had! Too late now, he's _mine_."

Keith—losing his temper—suddenly attacked, sword ready to chop the witch's head off. And he would've succeed wasn't for the clone that jumped in front of her. Lance's head rolled far from the body. The Red Paladin jumped back, standing in front of his team, avoiding the puddle of crimson slowly forming. He wanted to vomit. Without looking back, he knew the team had the exact same reaction. What he killed was a perfect copy of the man they loved. Keith tried to keep in mind that it was a clone, not the real Lance, but he knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

God, how fucked up that woman was?

"Selfless, self-sacrificing, loyal, observant, good at strategy, good at improvising, extremely adaptable, perfect aim, determined, agile and strong body, great at both team and solo work… I believe you humans call it… A jack-of-all-trades." The witch laughed again. "I'm surprised you didn't notice before, but looking at you now, I understand. Tell me, Voltron, what made you all so blind?"

Voltron stayed silent while the witch talked, not having enough strength to make a move yet. They were still processing the image of Lance's severed head on the floor. Lifeless eyes staring at the nothingness of Death. Shiro could feel Death staring back, for he had glared at her himself innumerous times while in the arena. He could see the colorless presence looming near the head slowly turn. She was staring at him with no eyes. He could even hear her voice, void of everything, full of nothing, floating mockingly.

"_Small world."_

_(Some people say they see their whole lives when they're near death. Who would've known they just needed to be nearer to see Death?)_

"Was it because he's not great with machinery and advanced technology?"

Hunk whimpered, fat tears appearing in his eyes. Pidge looked smaller, as if she was trying to cease her existence by shrinking.

"Maybe because he's not serious enough?"

Allura was getting paler and paler each passing second. Shiro's breath was quickening, heart screaming against his ribcage.

"Maybe because he's not good enough?"

"Shut your damned quiznak!" Keith screamed, eyes in slits, a deep growl coming from his chest.

"I'll give your Paladin back…" Haggar smiled wickedly. Giving a few steps back, she shielded herself in the middle of the Lances. "If you can find him."

The team had no chance to think, the Lances immediately attacking.

Later on, they would say it was the one of the hardest battles. Not only because the clones were full of Lance's memories—which meant they knew the group's techniques, skills and way of thinking—, but because the clones were Lance. Same body, same eyes, same hair, same fighting style. Sure, they knew Lance's abilities—how could they not after hours of training?—, and they surely trained a lot while searching for their missing piece—Coran had lost count of how many times he had to drag the others to take a break and eat something—, however they weren't ready to confront Lance's improvising skills—which were stupidly more dangerous with his adaptable and observant nature. It dawned on them that Lance never fought fully against them. Those clones had no remorse in kicking Pidge or punching Hunk. They played dirty; they had only one thought in their minds. _Destroy_.

Lance would truly be a terrifying enemy if he ever decided to throw things like honor and moral out of the window.

The only one who had some advantage was Allura. Lance had never seen her fight before. He had never seen her whip before. Even so, she was having some difficulties.

Every time one of the clones dropped, the team would wince. Every time one of the clones started bleeding, the team would feel sick. Every time they felt their weapon make contact with flesh, they would desperately try to remind themselves those things were clones and not their sweet paladin.

"Over there!" Keith saw the witch trying to escape by a hidden door. He wouldn't let her. He would fight her himself if necessary.

Thankfully, it wasn't, for Shiro also noticed and quickly gave the order to follow her. None of those was their Lance. Their Lance wouldn't attack them mindlessly. He wouldn't attack them, period. Opening the path to go after the witch was sickening and Hunk had to put a lot of effort on not puking then and there. They had no time to lose fighting mindless puppets. Keith did a quick job on separating their heads from the bodies—he never hated the color red more. Shiro did not miss one ribcage—his hand would forever be a monstrosity to him. Allura did not wait time to blind them with a flicker of her wrist—bluest blue bitterly matched with deep crimson, she noticed. Pidge was simply avoiding get hit—the last time she hit Lance with her bayard was in a playful moment and she would not tarnish the memory. Hunk was leaving clean holes on foreheads—he did not like guns back on Earth, he absolutely hated them on that forgotten planet.

_(The floor painted with crimson and dead bodies was a picture they fervently wished didn't exist.)_

_(I do wonder, dear reader, if they were able to lie enough to themselves to think it was all a shared bad dream.)_

_(Probably not.)_

They entered the room Haggar had ran into with a bang, Hunk having the half-mind to close the door behind them, letting the army outside. The woman was in the middle of the room, a clone by her side. They looked like they were arguing, one of her hands holding firmly his cuffed wrists. The clone's face immediately lighted up at seeing the team.

"Guys!"

"Haggar, how many clones did you make?!"

"Clones?"

The clone seemed confused, staring at the princess, then at the witch, then at the team. Hunk gasped, that clone was acting different. He was acting like Lance. Taking a good look at him, the team could see scars on his skin and the tired light in his eyes. He looked worn out and small, like Maybe…

"Lance?"

"Yeah, it's me, guys. Lancey Lance!" The boy beamed. "Why are you looking at me like I've grown two heads?"

It couldn't be so easy. It could not be so easy. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Haggar was planning something. There was no way she led them in that room unintentionally. It had to be a trap. A lie. There was no way she would unintentionally lead them directly to the real Lance.

"Enough games, witch. Give us the real Lance back."

"Ah, Red Paladin, I did promise I would give him back if you found the real one, didn't I?" Haggar let go of Lance and, with a hand gestured, told him to move towards his team.

It couldn't be so easy.

Lance walked towards them slowly, legs wobbling each step. He was thinner and looked fragile. The galra truly weren't an example of hospitality. His smile got stronger each step, eyes shining with joy—and some fear, some exhaustion, some apprehension, some resentment. No one moved a muscle, waiting silently to see what would happen.

It couldn't be so easy.

"Hey, guys." Lance whispered, happiness dripping from his voice.

Could it?


	8. Next Day

Lance was in the very middle of the way when the noise came.

A loud pounding noise.

Something kicking or punching glass.

It immediately brought the team's attention towards the very back of the room. Behind Haggar, stood something hidden behind a not so white cloth. The faint glow gave them an idea of what could possibly be there. Another tube, bigger than the others. Probably with another clone. A clone pounding on the tube's glass, wanting to be free.

Lance stopped. Hunk was able to see the flicker of contempt in his blue eyes before it was masked with carefully faked fear. The Lance Hunk knew could never muster that kind of look, unless in extreme situations. And never directed to people he held in his heart.

It really couldn't be that easy, could it?

"Hunk, what are you doing?!"

Pidge watched Hunk transform his bayard and aim at Lance. His mouth in a sneer, eyes hard with anger. She could not believe what her friend was doing until her always-sharp mind reminded her: Hunk would never take an aggressive stance without good reason. Especially against the Cuban. She turned to analyze the Blue Paladin. Something must be wrong, her mind told her, something must be wrong with Lance. His eyes held pure fear, wide and icy. Icy? Icy. Lance's eyes rarely turned icy. Usually when…

"You are not our Lance."

Keith growled, if the closest people to Lance said that the boy in front of them wasn't their Lance, then that boy—that thing—was not their Blue Paladin. Haggar cackled, asking them why they thought so. The Red Paladin didn't miss the worried glance she threw towards the hidden tube. Another banging noise was heard and he took action. Sword ready, he ran. Past "Lance". Past the witch. Towards the tube. With a swing, the cloth was cut and whatever was inside the tube was exposed.

"Lance…" Allura's whisper send shivers down Shiro's spine.

Wide eyes—blue eyes—, tear stained cheeks. Open mouth. Scars adorning his torso. His arms were cuffed to the tubes walls, so was his right leg. The left one was raised in mid-kick. He was the one making that noise. He was the one Haggar tried to hide.

Speaking of her…

Haggar lunged, ready to separate Keith's limbs one by one. Hunk reacted quickly and fired. He would've hit her wasn't for the clone jumping on the way. The shot did alert Keith of the attack, and he was able to evade Haggar in the last second. The witch ended hitting the tube, making the glass crack thanks to the magic she had covered her hands with. She turned, eyes blazing with hate, readying another attack, but her enemy was not willing to give her another chance. He immediately got up and dove head first into battle. His entire body screamed for blood and his entire mind lusted for Haggar's.

Meanwhile, the clone broke the cuffs with a simple flicker of his wrists. His icy eyes glared at the team. The shoulder Hunk's shot hit bleeding heavily. It took a battle stance; it wanted nothing more than to reduce the great Paladins of Voltron into dead bodies of broken dreams.

"I was so close to getting out of here… So damn close…" The clone growled. "But you just had to hear him, didn't you? You just couldn't ignore the goddamn noise." Its head moved, first left then right, loud cracks reaching the paladins ears. "I guess I just have to get rid of him too…"

Shiro—the usually levelheaded Shiro—did not wait to hear more. He was tired. He wanted Lance back. He wanted it all to end. Hand glowing, Shiro attacked. Fully intentioned of giving the clone the same destine the other clones received. A hole between the ribs. The clone smirked—a smirk that looked extremely wrong in Lance's face—and his own hand started to glow. Allura recognized that glow a bit too late, for soon Shiro was flying back and hitting the ground full force.

"T—How…?! That is… Quintessence!" The Princess' voice trembled. "Pure, unaltered Quintessence!"

"Correct! Impressive, huh?" Clone-Lance's smirk turned cocky. "Still not as strong as the original, but definitely easier to control. I wouldn't move much if I were you, Shiro. I didn't just send you flying back; I messed with your very own quintessence."

Said paladin was struggling to get back up, even with Pidge's help. Hand in his abdomen, all he could feel was pain. Every nerve of his body was singing with pain. Every cell of his brain was imploring for mercy. Please, stop the pain. Please, stop hurting. Please, stop. Please no more. He sat there, feeling everything burn. Even the soft touch of the Green paladin felt like a sting, as if someone was piercing his skin with a. extremely hot metal. And twisting it. He was putting all his strength in not succumbing to the pain, so the tears he usually would held back were freely raining down. In between pained breaths, he delivered an order:

"Don't let him touch you."

"Too late, leader."

In a second, Allura was on the floor, hands clawing at the clone's wrists. Long fingers in her throat, squeezing her air ducts. The body on top of hers was heavy, the knee on her stomach pressing more and more each passing tick. She could feel her quintessence being played with. Drained. Restored. Corrupted. Purified. Replaced. Shared. Pain ran through her and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came. Only choked sobs. Tears came out of her unfocused eyes.

_(How sad would it be for her last memory to be of bluest blue?)_

The weight was suddenly gone, the clone rolling along the floor. Pidge had hit him with her bayard. Allura took a deep breath, more of a gasp, and her eyes were finally able to focus. Shiro, with gritted teeth, crawled towards her, hold her hand gently in his. He could not fathom how much worse it was for the princess. Her race was directly connected to quintessence, they evolved around it. If he felt like dying after having his quintessence being played with, imagine how Allura was feeling?

_(In the back of his mind he registered the sound of glass shattering.)_

The Yellow Paladin shot. One, two, three, four… Again, again, again, again. No mercy. No hesitation. No stop. The thing didn't react to the energy bullets piercing his skin. One in his arm. One in his leg. One in his torso. One in his head. It was bleeding heavily, but the large smile never left.

Something was wrong.

"KEITH!"

Lance's voice—their Lance's voice—came from the very back of the room. There was so much terror, so much pain, so much _brokenness_. Foot bleeding; tears falling. The team turned to look at him, catching sight of Keith on the floor, body limp, hazy eyes. Haggar stood there, triumphantly looking at the human blood in her hand.

"Keith!" Four voices called the paladin, none received response.

"And there goes one!"

The thing would have said more, laughed more, if it wasn't for the hole the cook's weapon made in its forehead.

"Haggar!" The team never saw the pilot of the Yellow Lion with so much hate, but they knew they weren't too different.

Shiro got up, Allura right after him. They would deal with the pain later. They had to fight, they had to win. There was no time, there was no other way. Their muscles screamed. Their souls begged. No more, no more. But they could not. They would not. They needed to fight. For their family. For the universe. For themselves.

_(It all made sense, Shiro would think on a later date, the clone had tried to incapacitate the two strongest of the group, the experienced soldier and the powerful princess.)_

Handled the clone, they could focus on one objective: Give Haggar the same ending.

It was a group attack, there was no way the witch could've fought against all of them and she knew it. She was still weak; her experimentations with the boy and the clone took a lot of her own quintessence. With a burst of magic, she sent them flying back. Staring directly at the dark-skinned boy in the tube, she growled out some words before swiftly leaving the room using a hidden door.

_("Until next time, my son.")_

"Keith!"

Shiro was the first one to get to the Red Paladin, holding the cold body in his arms. Pidge did a quick work on Lance's restrains while Hunk ran after the witch. Allura was still laying where she landed, too pained and weakened to move. Lance fell out of the tube, right into Pidge, who had tried to catch him. They fell, the girl sitting and the boy kneeling. He looked terrible but the smile he gave her was comforting. He was back. He was alive. He was her Lance.

"Hello, Pidgeotto." He mumbled tiredly before shifting his gaze to the grieving leader of Voltron behind his teammate. "Can you take me to them?"

She nodded silently. Katie wanted to hug him and cry like until there was no tomorrow, however the look in his eyes prevented her from doing anything other than helping him walk towards the brothers. Once close enough, Lance let go of her and kneeled beside Shiro, who spared him a sad glance before looking at his little brother's frozen eyes.

"Hey, man," Lance greeted softly, "Can you give him to me for a second?"

Shiro complied. Keith's head rested on the Blue Paladin's lap. Said paladin closed his eyes with one hand—with horror the other two noticed it was a mechanic hand like Shiro's—and gently caressed his hair with the other. Closing his eyes, Lance could feel the energy run through him. His hands started to glow, a blue warm light involving his fingers and palm. He touched the half-galra on the forehead with the glowing hand.

A few tense ticks passed, Hunk returning empty handed. He refrained himself from talking once he saw the scene, feeling like it would break some kind of spell if he so much whispered. Instead, he walked to the passed out princess and lifted her up, bringing her to where their team was. Lance's galra hand did not pass unnoticed by him, but once again he chose to stay silent.

Suddenly Keith gasped and his chest rose with a deep intake of air. He jolted, sitting straight, before groaning and falling back on Lance's thighs. He stared at the blue-eyed boy for a few ticks, before smiling.

"Lance?"

"Welcome back, mullet."

It was as if a barrier broke. Pidge threw herself at them, crying and hiccupping and barely breathing. Hunk wasn't any better, giving Allura to Shiro so he could hug the three. Takashi held Allura close to his chest and the others even closer, not minding the awkward angles they were. Lance was bawling his eyes out and even Keith was crying like a little child.

They cried and cried. So much, they probably wouldn't cry for a long time after that.

_(Not that they minded)_

When they stopped, the realization of what just happened hit them like a truck. Lance had brought Keith back form the dead. Lance had a galra arm like Shiro. Lance was cloned by Haggar. Lance was back in their arms.

"How… Nice…"

The thing was staring at them from its spot on the floor. Apparently, a bullet in the middle of the head wasn't enough to kill it.

"I wonder… if they would have noticed… hadn't you made noise…"

It probably would've said more if Hunk's gun didn't shoot another bullet right between its eyes. They looked at the Yellow Paladin, but it wasn't him to one who shot, even though he had summoned his bayard. Allura was holding his hand; she was the one to put a definitive end into the thing Haggar created.

"Shut your quiznak."

They laughed. The universe felt right again.

* * *

Watching the base explode from the distance brought a sense of piece none of them could explain. There, sitting in the control room, seeing the cause of so much pain cease to exist, they felt a piece they had forgotten a long time ago.

Pidge cuddled closer to Lance, almost sitting on his lap. He didn't seem to mind. He welcomed the feeling of being cuddled with as Hunk hugged him tightly from behind, Shiro glued on his other side, Keith and Allura resting their heads on his tights. After so much time having the creepily gentle touch of Haggar as the only contact he had, being surrounded by people he loved—and, God, did he love them—was a blessing. He could start crying again, but that would probably worry them, so he did the next best thing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, samurai, just happy."

He laughed and laughed. Relieved. Happy. Tears rolled down his cheeks anyways, but at least he knew they wouldn't worry. Because he was smiling and laughing. And happy.

The mice came running to the group, climbing until they got to his head. Between laughs and satisfied sighs, he told them how much he missed them. How much he missed Kaltenecker—the cow resting peacefully near Coran. How much he missed the Castle. And the Lions. And Coran. And Allura. And Shiro. And Keith. And Katie. And Hunk. And being there. Being with his family.

"We missed you too, sharpshooter."

They could talk about everything that happened the next day. They could deal with the changes the whole ordeal brought the next day. They could heal the damage suffered the next day.

After all, they could finally say that there was going to be a next day.

Therefore, that day, they just basked on the feeling of being together.

_(Coran joined the cuddle pile as soon as Lance asked, Kaltenecker needed a bit more persuading, but in the end the Blue Paladin fell asleep between the people he loved most.)_

_(The team could deal with their plans for wooing him the next day.)_


	9. Mother

Lance tried to fight against his restraints. He tried to scream and call his team. His arms aching and his head pounding, he could hear the clone confront Hagar through the glass of the tube. Lance concentrated on the muffled words, closing his eyes—not that they were of much use, the cloth hiding the tube made everything dark.

"And if your plan doesn't work, 'mother'?"

"You will not call me that!"

"Why? Isn't that what you want him to call you? I am him, Haggar; you made me to be him!"

"You will never be my boy, creature! You are a thing I created to inflict damage on Voltron. You're just an instrument for my revenge."

"And what are you revenging, witch? That boy you kidnapped? That boy you tried to break repeatedly? That boy you call son and treat as a pet? What have Voltron done to him you hadn't done worse?"

Haggar would've answered if a loud banging noise didn't interrupt. The Blue Paladin prayed it was his team finally coming to save him. He was almost breaking. He could not do that anymore. If Lance had to spend any more time near Haggar and her forceful attempts of creating a mother-son bond, he would shatter. He could feel it. All the hope vanishing, all the light dimming, all the tiredness consuming, all the darkness corroding. No more, his mind begged. No more, his heart pleaded. No more, his soul screamed. No more. No more. No more.

"No more…" His voice whispered.

"Guys!"

It was the clone. All rancor had left his voice. He sounded so much like Lance… The boy could hear the hope in the clone's voice. It appeared he wasn't the only prisoner being played in Haggar's hands.

_(But he already knew that, didn't he?)_

"Haggar, how many clones did you make?!"

Allura. Tears rolled down Lance's cheek after hearing his princess voice. Ah, how he missed her. Her gentle yet firm personality and her cute attachment to the mice.

_(It was surprising he could still cry.)_

"Clones?"

"Lance?"

No, Hunk, it was not Lance. Well, it was, but really. Not their Lance. It was a Lance Haggar carefully made. A clone that grew from his hand the witch had so happily cut off. A Lance, but not the Lance.

"Yeah, it's me, guys. Lancey Lance!" The thing beamed, hope rising. "Why are you looking at me like I've grown two heads?"

It couldn't be so easy. It could not be so easy. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Haggar was planning something. It had to be a trap. A lie. Then why? Why couldn't they see it?! Why?! They weren't naïve, they weren't dumb! They knew they couldn't trust the witch!

"Enough games, witch. Give us the real Lance back."

He was there! He was there, Keith, why couldn't you hear him? Why couldn't he say something? Throat dry, Lance tried to scream. No sound came. Fighting against his shackles, he tried to make any noise to bring the other's attention to the very back of the room. No such luck. He prayed and begged they would notice something was wrong.

No one did.

"Ah, Red Paladin, I did promise I would give him back if you found the real one, didn't I?"

It couldn't be so easy.

_It could not be so easy._

Then why were they leaving with that thing?

Then why did they believe that thing was he?

Was he so unremarkable his own team—his own family—could not differentiate him from a goddamn clone?

Or were they so uncaring they could not see the thing they were taking home was not their Blue Paladin?

_(Was he still theirs when they weren't his?)_

The last thing he heard before finally giving up the fight was an explosion and Haggar's cackle.

* * *

"What a great family they are, don't you think, my boy? They left you behind so easily."

The caress was still loving. Like a mother watching fondly her son crying his heart out after trying to be strong for so long. So tender, Lance basked on the feeling. Her hands were warm and held him as if he was the only thing that mattered. As if he was a gift she could not even fathom living without. He closed his eyes, resting his head on Haggar's lap, letting the comforting fingertips put him together. He could imagine her smiling gently, talking about the Voltron team. Long fingers traced his jawline, then is temples, then lost themselves in the soft brown hair he prided himself so much.

"My dear boy, my offer still stands… Please, give me a chance to make you greater. Leave behind the burdens those people made you carry and wear the stars in your fingers."

_Yes, mother_, he would've said. However, Lance still had a half-mind to remember that his throat was not on the best shape. It was okay, if the alchemist had noticed his relationship with the team was hurting him, then she could notice his silent agreement. Maybe they brushed him aside a few times, but she would not. Maybe they disregarded his feelings a few times, but she would not. Maybe they acted they did not need him sometimes, but she would not. Maybe they hurt him sometimes, but she would not. She did make him suffer for a long time, though, but if he could forgive his old team, then he could forgive her.

As long as she kept loving him so tenderly.

Like a mother loves a son.

"So much happiness, so much contentment… The strong desire of proving yourself, the lust for giving pride to someone. The satisfaction of finally being recognized. I can feel it, my child, and I'm happy I can provide it."

A sigh came from him. Yes, he could feel it all. The pain was nothing but a vague memory, buried deep into his healing soul.

"You will have everything this universe has to offer! Is there something you wish more than anything in this life?"

His family, his home. Rain. Beach. Sand. Earth. His friends. A nice day of hanging out with people he held dear. Peace. Freedom. He wanted to live his life fully by the side of loved people. He wanted the war to end. He wanted. He could. He would.

A plan already forming inside his head. Lance had a lot to do, and with Haggar by his side, he was sure he would end victorious.

"I will give it to you, Lance."

After all, the support of a mother will always be a great motivation.

"_Please, mother."_


End file.
